


"I Like Birds!"

by Owl_Be_Writing



Series: If Elliott Had Been There- A Season Six Rewrite [7]
Category: Glee
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-09
Updated: 2017-04-09
Packaged: 2018-10-16 18:00:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10576563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Owl_Be_Writing/pseuds/Owl_Be_Writing
Summary: And with one simple tweak, I fix Tina’s character and make her someone we can root for. The right words of encouragement were all that she needed, and who better to deliver that message than Elliott? Takes place in the ‘If Elliott Had Been There’ alternate timeline series, a bonus scene for chapter 28 of Leaving The Liars In Lima (And Finding Truth In New York), No Need For Acting.





	

 

Elliott applauded with everyone else at what had been an excellent rendition of ‘I’m So Excited’. ‘ _‘Troubletones’, huh? Awesome name for a singing group. Miles above ‘New Directions’, anyway; has seriously no one noticed what that sounds like?’_

Kurt nudged him. “I’m going to get some punch. Do you want me to get some for you, too?”

Elliott considered for a second, then he nodded. “Yeah, love some. Thanks, sweetheart.”

Kurt giggled a bit, then left for the punch bowl, at the other end of the room.

Elliott smiled after him before he idly scanned the room, to take in the decorations, and all the people there, all the _singers_ there, that seemed to burst into song every few minutes, it was amazing. And everyone looked incredibly happy; he loved weddings.

Hold that thought- not everyone looked happy.

When Keiran had first called him ‘mam’, Elliott had been a bit annoyed. But he soon came to accept that it was true; he really did try to be everyone’s mom. It was like an instinct.

An instinct that he, of course, followed right then.

He quickly walked straight to the girl that wore an expression that seemed to attempt to not look sad, but very much failed. “Hey, I know who you are,” he said once he was stood before her, with a warm smile, “we somehow missed each other when you were in New York last year. You're Tina, right? The fruit fly?”

“...fruit fly?” she asked, confusion clearly displayed in the way she squinted at him.

“Yeah. 'Cause you are in no way a hag,” he explained with a grin, “I really hate that term, 'faghag'. Women aren't hags. Well, maybe Anne Coulter, but…”

Tina giggled then, a sound Elliott was very happy to hear.  “Yeah, I'm Tina,” she confirmed, “The 'fruit fly'. And you're Elliott, right? Kurt's boyfriend? Wow.” Her eyes went a little dreamy. “Blaine is perfect, so you're not an upgrade or anything, but you're definitely perfect too…”

Elliott couldn’t help but smirk, and the urge to tease her was too great. He traced a path in the air with his finger while he playfully made a buzzing noise.

The girl blushed adorably. “Oh my god, I am so sorry!” she apologized, “I don't know why I’m like that-”

His smile became warm again, and he gently took her hands in his right hand, and covered them with his left. “It's fine” Elliott assured her, “I'm more concerned as to why you look so sad.”

“...I'm not sad,” she denied, and her eyes darted away, “what are you talking about?”

He tilted his head, expression somehow sweeter. “Tina.”

She sighed deeply. Tina looked at the floor, then back up at Elliott. “There's a lot of love in this building,” she said, quietly, “you know?”

“Ah.” He nodded sagely; he had been fairly sure it was something like that. “Well, Tina...sometimes love takes awhile to find.” He paused. “And sometimes you never find it," he added, honestly.

Tina looked at the floor again.

Elliott bent low, and got her to look at him again. “But you always have yourself. Focus on that.” It was then he remembered the act he and Kurt played that day; to her knowledge, the man that spoke to her was in a romantic relationship. But, let it never be said that Elliott could not think on his feet. “I was fine before I met Kurt, you know? I am happier now, but I was happy before.”

“...really?” she asked.

He smiled and nodded. “Yeah. I had my friends, I had my music. I practiced my singing everyday, worked on songs.” He grinned cheekily. “Learned to make amazing curry.”

Elliott’s smile broadened when he saw Tina laugh again.

“My life wasn't empty before I met Kurt,” he reassured, “My heart wasn't empty. My heart was full. And, the funny thing about hearts is, even when they're full, there's always room for more.”

A look of comprehension. “So you're saying I ought to work on myself. Fill up my own heart.”

“Yes!” he enthused, “Exactly. What do you like to do, Tina? What's your dream?”

She frowned then. “I...I don't know. I don't think I've ever really had my own dream. I just...followed what everyone else was doing. I mean, I wanted to be popular and powerful for awhile, but,” she shrugged, “that was a bust…”

Elliott lifted his eyebrows. “Guess you've got a job to do, then.”

Her own brows furrowed as she nodded. “To find myself.” She suddenly looked side to side, and then leaned in towards Elliott, like she was about to reveal a big secret. “...I never shared this with anyone, but…”

“Yeah?” he prompted.

“I really like to draw,” she gushed. “And paint. ...and I think I'm kind of good at it. I like to draw birds. I like birds, too. I _really_ like birds, actually, I watch nature documentaries about birds all the time, why did I never think about this…” She shook her head in what looked like disbelief.

“Well,” he stated proudly, and let go of her hands to cross his arms, “sounds like you've found a good place to start.”

“Birds. I'm going to learn all about birds! And I'm going to draw them while I do it. I’ll double major in art and ornithology! Thank you!” she cried, and hugged Elliott tight.

Elliott laughed, and hugged her right back. “No problem. Glad I could help.”

She paused and seemed to look into the distance. When she returned her gaze to Elliott, she grinned brightly, and repeated, “Thank you.” She hummed for moment before she nodded and said, apparently to herself, “I better just go for a walk and think for a bit.”

And, without another word, she walked away, out of the barn. She didn’t seem to notice Artie when he tried to get her attention as she walked past him.

It was then that Kurt finally appeared back by his side. Elliott thought he looked like he’d been hunted. “There you are,” said Elliott.

“Sorry I took so long,” Kurt apologized, “Mercedes cornered me to demand that I explain why I did not confess at the time that it was _you_ I was singing about back in September.”

Elliott raised an eyebrow. “What did you tell her?”

Kurt huffed out an angry breath. “A stronger version of what I had said then. I don’t see why I should share personal information with people that don’t text me back. She didn’t take it well.”

Elliott pointedly looked at what Kurt held in his hands. “Is that why, rather than punch, you have a bottle of champagne and two champagne flutes?”

“Possibly,” Kurt sighed. He gave Elliott a tired look. “I think I’d like to sit down.”

“Of course,” said Elliott. He wrapped an arm around Kurt, and guided him to a table.

“So, what were you talking to Tina about?” Kurt asked.

“Purpose, I think,” murmured Elliott. “It felt as important as that, anyway.”

 

Tina walked around the barn with slow steps while she thought and thought.

She berated herself a bit. She’d wasted so much time already, a whole year and two months of college.

She shook her head. _‘No sense in thinking about that,’_ she thought, _‘I’ve figured it out now, at least. I should look to the future. Lessee, I’m already enrolled in painting classes, and a biology course, that’s a start. It’s way too late to add any classes for my fall semester, but I have plenty of time to sort out my spring semester classes…’_

As she thought and thought and planned and planned, she of course drifted towards thoughts about her favorite type of birds, corvids. A bit of a holdover from her goth phase, she supposed, since it was the ravens and crows of that family of birds she was most fond of, though she liked all the others, too.

She laughed, suddenly, because she then realized that that had been the real start of it all. She had learned all about crows and ravens in pursuit of a goth identity, and then she didn’t stop. They’d been her ‘gateway drug’ to birds.

From there, her mind went to all the bird songs she knew, and she knew a lot. It settled on one in particular, and she sang to herself-

 

_~I can’t look_

_At the rocket launch_

_The trophy wives of the astronauts_

_And I won’t listen_

_To their words_

_‘Cause I like…_

_Birds.~_

 

The song remained with her when she was back in New York, while she dodged traffic and struggled to walk on crowded sidewalks.

 

_~I don’t care_

_For walking downtown_

_Crazy autocar gonna mow me down_

_Look at all the people_

_Like cows in a herd_

_Well, I like- *whistle*_

_Birds.~_

 

She had successfully campaigned to get birdfeeders installed on the grounds of Brown University. She happily, and more than a bit proudly, took stations next to them, a different one each day, in order to observe, sketch, and record the various species that visited.

 

_~If you’re small,_

_And on a search,_

_I’ve got a feeder for you to perch on…~_

 

Before, when a person would cut in line in front her at the store, she would have completely lost it. Had a tantrum, if she was honest about what her reactions used to be. But not since found her passion. She stayed calm with thoughts of chickadees, nuthatches, and wrens.

 

_~I can’t stand in line_

_At the store_

_The mean little people are such a bore_

_But it’s okay_

_If you act like a turd_

_‘Cause I like…_

_Birds.~_

 

It was on her third year at university that it happened. In her regular observation of the birds on the grounds of Brown, not just at the feeders, but in the trees, on the lawn, she noticed something about some of the house wrens. They were a bit different, their tails slightly different, than what was usual. When she found a corpse and examined it, she saw she had not been mistaken- the white bands were a _lot_ wider than what was customary. With encouragement from her professor, she investigated further, caught and examined (and tagged) other birds, sent samples for DNA sequencing at the biochemistry lab.

To find she was right.

She had found a new species of house wren.

When one discovers a new species, they get to name it.

Troglodytes aedon tinae.

Tina's House Wren.

 

_~If you’re small_

_And on a search_

_I’ve got a feeder for you to perch on_

_I’ve got a feeder for you to perch on~_

**Author's Note:**

> Song featured-  
> [I Like Birds](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpZV74ndZK4) by Eels
> 
> Tina finding a new species right on the campus grounds is, in fact,  
> [very realistic](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tJ3KFVKq6I).


End file.
